Last week, it was all about the dad bod — the online trend praising men with realistic bodies types. The dad bod is used to describe men who are relatively fit but with some extra weight around their midsection. Think Leonardo DiCaprio, Seth Rogen and Chris Pratt (pre Guardians of the Galaxy, of course) as the poster children of the movement. They may not be ripped or adhere to traditional standards of male attractiveness, but one look at the #dadbod hashtag and you’ll see we still find these men incredibly sexy.
But now, inspired by this movement comes the mom bod, the trend celebrating women’s post baby bodies — proving that moms too, are attractive and beautiful. Women all over social media are posting candid pictures of themselves, showcasing all the unique lines, scars and curves that came after bearing their children.
While we’re lovin’ both of these body positive movements, the #mombod trend is especially important as it addresses the unrealistic beauty expectations women are constantly pressured to live up to. Putting the dad bod and mom bod trend side by side, you see the double standards that continue to exist within society. Men who get older and decide to “let themselves go” are praised and celebrated for rocking their “average Joe” bods — a true example of male privilege that women don’t have the luxury of being able to exercise without ridicule.
Sure, just have a seat anywhere… #momlife
A photo posted by Diane (@ahanusmom) on
By now, we all know the physical toll pregnancy has on the female body and yet women are still expected to bounce back and somehow get their pre-baby body weeks after delivery. From celebrities to everyday gals, women are constantly bombarded with these messages and even shamed when they don’t live up to society’s unrealistic beauty expectations.
A photo posted by ToneItUp Christina (@christina1_tiu) on
That needs to change, and #mombod is a good place to start challenging these ideals. While it will take some time until society accepts that beauty and attractiveness comes in all shapes and forms, we applaud the women who bravely showed their mom bods with such confidence — with scars, stretch marks and all. If that’s not beautiful, we don’t know what is!
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